大象传媒

Photography and cameras - AQALenses

Learn about the different principles and processes in photography, such as black and white photography, colour photography, digital and analogue and image editing. Find out about the different benefits and drawbacks.

Part of Art and DesignPhotography

Lenses

The main types of lenses are wide-angle, telephoto and standard.

Wide-angle lenses

A wide-angle camera lens

Wide-angle lenses capture a wide view of a scene. They can be used to show wide open landscapes and to highlight or exaggerate the size and scale of a subject.

Images can seem distorted around the edges. For example, straight lines can appear curved or faces might seem stretched.

Wide-angle lenses can make objects in the appear much bigger than those in the background. This can be a useful way of emphasising the foreground.

A deserted white salt flat as seen through a wide-angle lens
Image caption,
A photo taken with a wide-angle camera lens

Telephoto lenses

A telephoto camera lens

Telephoto lenses have a long focal length. They magnify or show faraway subjects in detail. They are useful in many situations such as wildlife photography or sporting events.

They can鈥檛 be used to photograph subjects that are too close.

Photographing subjects that are in the distance can result in images that appear flattened, so it is helpful to think about ways to add depth and space to a composition.

Standard lenses

A standard camera lens

Standard lenses are designed to work in a wide range of situations. They cannot show as wide a scene as a wide-angle lens or show distant detail like a telephoto lens.

Standard lenses can be used for a wide range of different subjects and are a flexible choice for trying out different compositions quickly.